


let the dust hit the floor, it's time to go to war

by pawn_vs_player



Series: Select File: DFT//:R3-Fus3_+_D3t3rm14t10n [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Altered Mental States, Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe - Underfell, Chara Is Their Own Warning, Chara Possessing Frisk, Crossing Timelines, Frisk Needs A Hug, Gen, Magic, Manipulation, Manipulative Relationship, Mental Instability, Murder, Nice Flowey, Past Brainwashing, Repressed Memories, Roleswap, Sans loves him his books, Special Abilities, Underfell Flowey, Unhealthy Relationships, Unreliable Narrator, all the murder, author's headcanons galore, author's headcanons on how magic works in Undertale, heheheheh i can't wait for your reaction to the character switches, not your standard Underfell universe, shitty fight scenes, since this IS underfell but not the one most people use, this is an AU of an AU basically
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-04
Updated: 2017-08-26
Packaged: 2018-09-24 05:20:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9705098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pawn_vs_player/pseuds/pawn_vs_player
Summary: Where does one go after destroying a happy timeline?Underfell....Riiiiiight. That makes sense.(In which Chara is their happy murder-child self, something's wrong with Sans, Flowey knows more than he's supposed to, and Papyrus is harder to kill than usual.)





	1. empty shells

**Author's Note:**

> *The author shouts their greetings to you all!  
> *It's great to be back, working on the Runner route!  
> *The author finally has the whole series planned out, so there's no holding them back anymore.  
> *It's time to get ~serious~...  
> *In the other timelines.  
> *For now, the murdering shenanigans continue. (With a smidgen of plot mixed in, of course.)  
> *ONWARD, READERS!

According to your device, the universe you've now entered is called 'Underfell'. It's a little pretentious, you think, but what can you do.

Chara looks around. You're in the Ruins, funnily enough, soaking in the thin sunlight from above. The golden flowers rustle and shift in the breeze. There is no sign of Flowey or Frisk.

Chara cocks their head toward the dark entrance of the Ruins. "--Let's go.--"

There's dust in the hallways. You wonder aloud if the Fallen Child of this world is to blame, but Chara doesn't think so. They remind you of the universe synopsis the dimension-crossing device gave you on this world. They giggle and say that they think it was Toriel.

*You're excited to find out.

*You want to fight a Boss Monster who will actually give you a run for your money.

 

You hear the crackle of flames long before you actually find Toriel. You smell cinnamon and roasting snail, and though the odor doesn't bother you, Chara wrinkles their nose.

"--Those better not be in the same pie,--" they mutter. "--That's fucking disgusting.--"

You pat their shoulder. Personally, you don't care, but hey, if they think it's gross, okay then, it's gross.

You wonder what cinnamon would do to a snail's skin. Salt melts them; would cinnamon have a similar effect? It's not an important question, but you _really_ want to know. Strange.

You resolve to find out when you're done in the Ruins. If Napstablook's still around here, you can steal some snails from him and experiment.

 

The doorstep to Toriel's area of the Ruins is covered in dust. Chara drags their fingers through it, bringing their hand to their mouth and sticking out their tongue curiously.

"--Tastes like salt,--" they say, brow wrinkling. "--And... uck! Apples!--" They flick the dust off their fingers and wipe their hand on their pants.

You watch the dust motes twinkle in the faded light that still creeps down the passageway from the hole to the Surface. The remnants of the dead monsters twinkle like tiny golden stars, and you wonder if such a star really exists on the surface.

 _*̤̗̰(S̞͕͔̲̘͢a͇̜n̩̮͙̖s͖̬̹͔̞͙̙!͜ ̻͓ͅŞ͖͖̪͓̭̳̻ạ̣̠͈̞̦n̨͓s̺,̳͇ ͖̙̝̺͢c͎̞̲̭̣̭'͖͇͉̺̻̻͜m̗̝͕o̴̜̟̞̯n̶̟̞̗̹,̣̘͕ ̜̗͜y̧͓̱ou̲̝̳̟͡'҉̣̩͓̼̘̹͔ll̖̲̼̱͠ͅ ̻͔̮̣͕͎͘ṃ̪͙̻̻̬i̴̱͔̰s̡̪s̸̘͎̣͚ ̦̹̤͉i͓t͚̪͓̮!͕̞͙͍̱_  
_̬̦_  
_̱͉͓b͓͉͖̞̼̝̹̕o͍̜̲̥̗͇͞y̟̝̘̜̕,̴ ̦̜̰y̤̗̫̦̩͉͢o̯͚͕u̼̜̟ ͓͍̱ͅg͞o͉͎̦ṱ̡̣̹̭ͅͅ ͖̙͓̩̩͡a̢̗̤̙͚͎̬ ̰̹s҉̗̟̱̺k̡̼̻̜̦̫ͅe̡̖̯̱̭̤͈ͅl̝͕̠͡ͅe̖̮̣̬͖-͍t͈̩̪̫̮̟̱͠o̖̰̦͚̫̻n̥ ͍̟̜̳o̼f͈̫͈̕ ̡̮̪̼̥e̥̙̝̙̙͙͢n̺̳̲͚̝̟e̬͙̫͚̹r̗̙g̶͈̣͚̗̰̝͓y̴͖͉̰͔,̞̪͈̞̖ ̢̱̗̪̱̠̜ḫ̛̗͚͇̯u̘̞̼̠͜h̸̞̳͍͓̝ ̙̺͖̗͕̥̥k͖̮̣̳̳͓ͅi͙͡ḏ̳͚͖͡?̠̬_  
_͕͓̺̖̭̫͇_  
_̣͓S̶̪͖̯̦͍a̼̞̜̯͚͈a̟͚̜an̴̠s҉͙ͅ!҉͔̯̼̦ ͔̞̹͇̳T҉̯͎̱̱̘ͅh̖̦̙͟is̡̝̙̻̝̜ ͖i̵͙̝̖s̡̠ ͝i̳̞̫̟̱m҉̪p̼̙̩͝o̠̭̥̝̻r̩̬͔͔͕̫͠t̹ͅan̵͇t̜̺ͅ!̼͔͈͠ ̭̤̤͙̠C̣̬͞o͈̙̻̦̲̞ͅm̴͇̟̝̱̺ę̣͉͍̭̺̬̪ ̤̣o̧̞̪̥̞n͓!͓̭̻̼_  
_̼̙̺͍̤̕_  
_̢͇̩͉̗o͙̜͇̭k̶̳̥̱̘ą͖̮͚̺̬y͏̭̭̱,̬̹͈̭͎ ̡͇̗̮̥o̰ḵa̶y̜͙̣̬̯͓̦,͍̮͖͍̬͉ ̡̠̩k͇͇i̷͔͕d͖͉͇̗.͏̪͓̪̳ ̜̻'̨̰̭m̢̞̠͕̜͓̠ ̫̖̘͔͚co̖̞mi̢̱̪̥n̘̦̼͙̫̮g̫̱ͅ.̧̺̝̙̠̯͔_  
_͕͍͔̼̜̜̫_  
_͇̠͎B̲̤͉͖̮̮͘R̵̗̻̟̣̬ͅOT̬͡H͍̩̤͉̠E̗R̮̟̠͎͈!̙͎͎̙̻̩̲ ͏̩̩T̼̺͈͍̖ͅH̘̘̣̰͢E͇̫͢ ̡̥͍̳̱͔͓̲H̗͟U̪̮̹̪̺̘M̞͕̥̭͕̦A͉̘̩͈̳͝N̠ ̲̜̳̩͍S̫͎̼̟͠A̧͚̖̳Y͍͇͎̮͍͠S̱͜ ͇̘͘W҉͔͕͔̘E̙͖͖̩̪̫͖ ͏͓̥͓͈H̞͉̩͘A͇̤V͚͙E̙̦͔̲͖̙̭ T̛̯̙̻̣̱͎O͏͉̺̭̰̩̯ͅ ̳̘̝P̦Ụ̹͙̝͔̱͎T̥͚ ͈O͚̭U̼R͍͖͚͈͔̥ ̬̭Ȩ̘͇̩̗YȨ͉S̩̦̜ ̲̭̼̲͔̲̦O̧N͖̫̤̖ ̛̦͍͍̯̟̯T͓H͔̩I̗̠̠̘S͙̗͍̩̖̣ ̺͖ST̟̞Ṛ͕̬̻̙̫A͕̙̘͈Ņ̝G̣̺͓̼̳̲̘E̩̱̞͇ ̺D̰̭̣E̪̩͕̜V̺̗͚I̻̦̟̤̮C͔͙͇̱Ę͙!̯̺͕̲̬̝̝͞_  
_̥̣̮_  
_̝y̦̦͔e͓̫a̟̠̘͖̦͚̫͠h̜̤̱,̢̮̬ b͔̪͖̭̞r̰̱̣̯͞o̙̩.̣̮̹̭̟̤͇ h͔̟̠͘ͅe͕̖r̤̩e͇͈,̖̩͇ ̖̪̜ͅi̹̰̪̘'̶̠̺̗̯̪̘̹l̡̪̠̝̖̪͉̝l̝̱̙͔̹͚̩ ̸̝͖̥̩͖͓ͅs͍̜͝h̷̥̤̻o̠̺̖̲̳w̞͇ ͟y̟̱̜̟̬͟a̛̠͔.̳̰͎̠̱̯_  
  
_͙.̞.̩̹̩̫̳͍.̖͍͓o̸̳̬̭̠̣h͔͕͈̲̺̠͠ ̘͎m̘͈y̫͚.͈̖̲̘̦.͙̯͔̬̗̫̘.͘_  
_̧͉̣̟̲͓̺̘_  
_̷̤̘I̫͙̻̳̞͉͇͝s͕̪̺͇̙̻n͙͘'̣̩̖̥ͅt̘̝͚̱̹ͅ ͍͔͞ͅi̦͙͙̹ţ̜̰̝̟̳̹̥ ̧p̧̺re̬͇͕͍̪t̗̞͘t̙͖y̬͇̥̖͍,͏͓͎̞̪ ̳̗͍̼͎̝͝S̛̞̠̪̳̞a̧̜͇̗̲n̨̺͍̠̯s̮̳̝?͚_  
_̜̜͙͘_  
_҉͖̰̞i̵̯̟͙͈̺̲̭.̡̹̙̰̲͈̬̮.͍͔̠̭̮̻̟.͙̺̭̺̹ ̳̦͖̭̹k͓̭̥͕̼͉͚i͇͍̟̲̣͎̼d̴̻̤̠͇,̸̤̪̣̥̥ ̼̫͓̗̳̱͡i̫̟̘̟͕.̖̭͞.̹͖̼̦͉̼͠.̱͇̘̗̼̘̫_  
_͕̮͞_  
_̵̖̦̮̹̻T̼̤͎̣͎ḫ͈̪͙-҉t̲̮̯̦͇h̛̞͓̰͙̩̲̣a͍̹t̻͓̥͍̮̕'̨̻̯̻͍̬͎̘s̪͓͚͓̥̦ ͍̕V̸̹̺e̶ṉ̩̮ͅṳ̘͈͓̣̞̪s̺,̣̘̫̝ ̘͍̞ͅt̶̤̗̯̲̣͕̟h̪͉̣͕ḛ̱̱ se͎̳͓̣̪̙͚-̣̳͢s̥͚͓̮͓̞e̞͢c͓͙̙̠͠o̗̘͖̬͈̭ṉ͈̦͖d͈̣̜ͅ ̣̱̗̥̲͙ͅp҉̟̟͉ḻ̪̲̩̥͕̜a̵̬n̟͙̫͘e̛͇̘̠̘t̲̥̹̩ ̗͈̹͇fṛ̖͍̟̕o̯m̳̳͉̮̗͚̯ t̨͇͈̗̝̟̖̘h̲e̵̻̹͙ ̭͉̼͈̠s̫͕̖̪͎u͉̪̯͔̬n͕.̸̞̙̦̞ͅ ̮͈͕͓̱͍I̮͓̘̝͚̮̭-̷̩i̡t̟͖'̡̬̘̱̺̳s̞ ̰̯̬̗̤c̢o̼̘̦̖v̻̬̰̯e̶͓̠r̡̹̲̯̜̞̺̱ed̷͉͕̲̥ ͈i̮̮n̛ ̙̩̩̦y̬͖̳-͙̘̳̝̭̤͜y̘͍̥̪͈̗͚͢e͔l̴͍̻̙l̦̠̘̰̘̪o̷̫w̛ ̻͈ͅs̢͎u̥̯͡l̜͇̦̫͙̳͘f͙̗͉͎̹̠̮͜u̹̖̻̹̥̠̙r͝ ͖̫͘cl̮͓͖̥͓ͅo̺̟͖̭̣̱ud̴͕̮͈̙̳͔ͅs͚͔͠,̤̝̩̳͎̣̯ ̻̟̦͕̘̞̩͟a̷͇-͈͖͚a̳n͚ͅd̵͎̼̗̦ ̝̥̬͈o̭̜͓̦n̲͈̙͙͉ ̙͚̤͓̪̙͉o̹̪͓͍̻͉͇-͍o̭̞͚̭̮̦-҉̜̤ǫ͕͎c̠̘̰c̬̗̠̘̙a̙͕̞̪͜ͅs̰į̬̯̪̜̗͖͎o̱n̢̯ͅ ̢͔̜͇̤̞i̺̘̬t̙͓̖ͅ ̷̟̭̤p̖̪̦͕̣a̻̝̺̥̱ṣ̨̤͍̘̭͍̭s̤̱̝̘e̝̼̣s̹̬̲̹ ͎͇̙͚̖͍̭c̢̣͚͖̦̥̹͇l̦̙̮̤͡o͖ș̫̳e ̛̪͖͓̖en̯͕̬͡ọu̗̥̖͜g̳̼̝̯h̩ ͇̠͖͍̞̤t̨̟̲̭̜̘͓-̕t̘̹̳͡o̠̪ ͎͇̱̜̖̹͘E̡̠̤a̬r̦͕̮͡t̬͓̰̪̞̩ẖ̵͔͓̯̙'̞͙͍̝̥̦̲s ̙̫͈̬̟o͙͍̙̣͟r̛̩͕b͔̲͓̥̭̥i̱t̫̜̮̙̳̯̜ ̣̤̠͡f̰̭͇͍̻̦̞o̵-̳͢f̟͇o͘r̯̪̥͙ ̦̜̭u̩̯̝̦̥̝̰s҉̤̖̝̯̻̝̣ ̲͕̰̜̳͍͍t͏̱̘͍̹͈̟͕o ̩͉̜̞͖͚̣͟s͚̮̺̲͈̣̻͡ḛ̩̭̫e͉̺̟̼̦!͈̳̱̼͓ ͔̲̙̫͟I̷̥̣͓-̴̪͚͈͕̣̤͎i̢̥s̼̯̱̰n̳'̖̩͇̠̜̤ṯ͕̹̞̳͓͚ ̵͖t̞̹̹͍͍̜̟h̶͉̮̥̪̯a͖̫̗̭͟t͙̪̟̠̰̺ ̛̜͕̝̯̘̬g̡͍̣̯̤r̬e̩̬̻̦̱̮͞a͏̜̘ͅt͚̝͎̙̮͖̗,̧̺̝ ̢̙̼S̸͖̤͉̭̬̻͎a̴̖̬̩̟̘̟n̛̘̼s̥͙?҉͎͈͉̺_  
_̠_  
_̛͖̲͉͉̝̙NG̫A̜͓̼H̷H͚̩̻̬̼̣̤!̸̗̩̳!̕ ̰͞C̩̥̥o̡͈̝͖͈̰ư̘͙̲ͅr͈̗͕͍̪͇s̢̮e͏̰͎̺̱ͅ ̧̗͇̩̬͈͇i̻͟t̺͔͙'̧̺̙̗s̢̰͚͈̥͈͉͍ ͎͕̰̗͟g̹̘͈̬̟̳͝ͅr̩̪e̱̳͙͓͔a̧ͅt̥̞̫,̘̫̬̲̖͕ ̭̣͉͔A͎̪͔ḷ̵̝̩͖̟͔̠!̹ ͡B҉u͕t͈̖͕ i̺͖̘t̠̲̗̹̠̞'̣̕s͇̫̹̯̳͇̪ ̯̩̲̮̺̩͞s̖̙̕o̻ ̸͍s̤̝͇̰͢m͇̲a̵͎̞̠̞͍̤l̠̟̱͞l̜̣͞ ̡̖̬̟͇͎̫u̧̺̳̜p͘ t͓̼͡ḥ̘̮͔̪̗̼e̩̬͕̝̦r̳̥͠e͕̙̫̯͉͠!̢̱̰ ̼͇̬D̤̱o̘̯̟̩͉͕͠e͍̤̥͔͘ͅs̤͇̟̮̤̬̻n̷̺̪̰̩͍'̶̟t̜͈͇͉̱͔̲ ͍͕l̥̝̣̲͖o̻̭̟͉̥o̤k̲̞͈ ̱̙̖͚͘a͖͉̜͙͈̫̗n̼̦͓̪̱̞̲͠y̢̰̝̝͉͕ͅt͔͓͔̞̰̙h̡̭͚̱̹̫͚i̵̪n̜͕̣g͝ ̪̹̯̲̘͟l͉̟̺̝̟i͖̰̻̟k̢̲̙̖̰̩̼ͅe̱̠̪̳̰͖ ҉̭̰͉͕t̛ͅh̼̲͙̯̜͖e̦͇̼̘͖̭ ̦̘̬͓͙̹p̘̳̪̟͇i̼̤c͏̫̥t̻͇̕u̡͚̼͓̪̗r͔̩̟͝e̷̩͚̳̞̝s͔ ̺̬̱̠i̫̱̯̰n̯͍̤̮̠ ͓̻͈̼̫͝Fr̬̲̣͝i̤̹̹̭̥͙̤͡ṣ͖͈͖͓k̻̱̼͚͖'s̹̮̫͔͉ ͏̯̤̜b̛̖͕̱o̬̤͉͍̹͡o̲͇̜̦k͕̘̼͘s̹̫̝̳!̣_  
_̩͙̙͍̮̘̥͡_  
_҉̮̫̳͚̫̮̖W͍̪̼-̤͔̲͉̯̙̙w͖͇͇̲͓̺͝e'̪͍̖̪̬͔͖r̯e̜̪̯̫̫͖ͅ ̙̙͇͖̞̞t͎oo̥ ̙͙̩̺̬f͠a̗̜ŗ̫̟ͅ ̼͎̝̻̝̝a̘͔-͉͉̻̠̠̦a̼̗̼̳̺ͅw҉͙̗̘̱̹͚a̲̼͓͜y̳͈̖͓͇͕̬̕,̗̜̼͔͝ͅ ͎̼͉̞͍̣U͇̱̗̭̲̙̥͝n̬͇̜͙̘͖d̪͎̱̮̝̱̮y͖̘̼n͚e͖,̯̟ ̪̱͇̩̝̙̣͜b͍̜̪͔͇ͅu͍̦̬̱̯͕̝ṱ͉̲͔̝͇ ̼̮͕̫̹̠̫i̤͖-҉̮̯̗̘i͇̦̼f̢̝̯̯̣̻ ̛͈̯y͍̫͟o̸̤̘̬̺̞̘u̩̞̝͙̠ ̞̟̖̞l̛̘͉̙̤̱o̲̤͖̯̰ok̲͉͚̮̭̞̼͠ ̩̣̘i҉̤n ̱̲̹̕t͙͖̙͚̰̭̦͘h̰̪̫͢e̼̩ ̬͙̩̣t͎-͇̬t͙̫e̛̤͈l̯̬̹̤̟̱͜e̠͙͔̹͉ṣ̘̘͍͙͚̙c̹̟͢o̞͍͍̲͡p͝e͖̙-̥̕_  
_͍̣̰̩̞͇̪_  
_̡̺̦̘̺S̸A̞͓̖̲̦͚͖N̹̼̜S̬̩̳̹! ̠̹͉͠M͔o̪̭̹̹͚̖͠v̷̥̲̭͇͙̣̩ḙ̻͍,̣̦͓͇̣̱ ͉I͍͕̰̳̜ ̖̣͙w͍̫̦̟a҉̜͉̫n͖̠̜̪̯͙͢n̘̭̪̯a̩̘̝̳̯ ̶͈̮s͉̹e͏̥̭͖̥̣͔ͅe̫̮̦̦ͅ ͏̲̹͙͚Ṿ̧̹̯̬͇̖ḙ̘̩͚̰͚͕n̴u̗͇̲̲̘s̤͓̪͍̠̯̠͘!҉̫̜̺ͅ_  
  
_̼̭.ͅ.̼̖̩͡.͉̭͟B͇͔̥R̛͈̗̩͓͖̣̲O̸̬T̜H̝̼͔E͈R̻͓̲?̧͔̖͍_  
_̴̻͖̗̺̜_  
_̺k̗̟͢i̖̥d̷̳̫.̸̬.̸̠. ̠̦͡ͅa̫̗̟͟l̼̩͇͇̖̲.̡̻̝͈̗̳͓̖.͔͓.̵̥̞ ̻͙̙̕o̱̺h̶͈͚̞̙ ͈̥̳̪my̴̻ ̣̘̮̳g҉̝̰ọ̴̼̠d̝͡,̥̦ ̢̝t͓̯̺͟h̲̠i̥̝s͉͈-͚̬̟̺̪ ͕̺̱̝̲̫̹͘t̩̠̩̟̺h͈̤͕̻̤̩i̛̹̘̫s͇͚ ̪͈̮̞͎i̜̺̺̭̟̳͜s̲̹̪.̯.̝̗̗ͅͅ.̙̹͔̹)̪̯̭͔̠̬̦_  
̙  
͏̻̪̞̳̙

"--Sans?--"

You blink. Chara is waving their hand in front of you. Gray motes dance away from their fingers.

"yeah."

"--Oh, good,--" they chirp. "--Thought I'd lost you there.--" They grab your hand. "--You'd never leave me behind, right, partner?--"

"of course not."

"--Oh, of course you won't! You're a good partner. You won't ever leave me.--" Their hand tightens around yours. "--Never ever. You aren't a traitor or a coward.--"

You are silent.

 

*(̛̗̫͓̕Y͍̺͇̼̫̖̝̙͜ǫ̵̲͓͇̝͚͍̼u͚̠̦͉̮͇̥͝ ̷͚̫̯̹͖̥͔m̛̗̖i̸̝̭̫̭̭͡s̷͔͙̯͚s͉͓̞͎͇̣ͅ ̷̧̫̭̪̙̙̜͓͎t̛͇̦̹̠̣͇ͅḫ̹̲͞e̵̸̻̺̮̝̜̜̹̗ ̡̪ş҉̺̠̼̥͚ͅt̙͝a̲͜r͙̭̪̜̠̟s͞҉͉͉̤͎̮͙̰͙.̧̰̦̟͕̳͎̫)̶̜̲̤̰  
---  
  
 

Napstablook isn't in the Ruins today. At their farm, probably. Betting on those silly snails or whatever. You remember your earlier thought, and decide to steal some of Toriel's cinnamon for when you see Napstablook later. (And you will see them. Chara didn't bring you here to let anyone escape.) 

Toriel's humming echoes down the halls. Dishes click and pans clang. Two pairs of footprints are marked in the dust: Toriel's distinctive shape, and those of shoes. 

"--Frisk's already been through,--" Chara whispers. Their fist clenches. "--Damn.--"

The humming stops.

"Is someone there?" Toriel demands. You hear the crackle of her fire and see its light dance out across the floor. "I do not take kindly to intruders."

Chara winks at you and slips their knife in their back pocket. They step forward, into the light. They are shaking, and they hold their hands in front of their chest. "--Pl-please, I- my s-s-sibling- they f-fell, I, I need t-to find th-them-"

Toriel's fire ebbs away. You duck back against the wall as she thumps to her knees to grab Chara's shoulders. "Oh, my child! The other human has passed through. It is unfortunate that you did not come earlier!" You can almost hear her frown in her words. "And I have no pie left..."

"P-pie?" Chara says, making their voice wobble. "Um... if, if it isn't t-too much trouble, ma'am, I'd l-like some pie..."

"I can make more!" Toriel chirps. Her shadow grows against the wall as she stands and takes Chara's hand. You teleport away quickly before she sees you.

You appear in Toriel's room, guilt gnawing at your soul for leaving Chara behind.  _it's for the best,_ you remind yourself.  _they'll be fine._

You take the opportunity to inspect Toriel's room. By a stroke of luck, this Toriel has knives in her bedside table and a joke book under the bed. You store the book and hide the knives: they'll have a new owner soon. 

Your eyes drift to Toriel's bookshelf. You shouldn't. It's frivolous. Jokes are allowed because your partner likes them, but since you fixed the machine, Chara tells you everything you need to know now. Any knowledge Toriel might have here will be useless.

You are reaching for a book before you realize you've crossed the room. Its jacket is dark blue, and the title is worn on the spine.  _True Facts About The Ocean._  

The moment your finger grazes the faded words, the book vanishes into your inventory. You shake, crouching down and staring around wildly, but you are still alone. No one saw. Your partner didn't see. Your partner doesn't know.

Your partner doesn't need to know.

Slowly, slowly, you stand up. You turn back to the shelves. There are  _so many books._ You want to take them all.

You can't. Even if your partner wouldn't punish you severely if they found out about just the one book you've taken, you don't have the room in your inventory for all of them.

But... 

You have room for some.

Toriel doesn't have books on space. You remind yourself not to be disappointed.

Toriel has storybooks.  _Classic Fairytales,_ one says. You store it next to the ocean book.  _The Odyssey,_ says another.  _Twisted_ _,_ says a third. 

You shove them all to the back of your inventory. Chara can't see them. Chara won't see them.

You hesitate, fingers drifting from one shelf to the next. What to pick, what to pick...

There are footsteps outside. You grab the book closest to your hand and step through space, emerging in the pile of fallen leaves and thick dust outside Toriel's door. 

You look at the title of the book clenched in your hand.  _Wintergirls._

You store it.

 

You return to the gaping hole in the mountain and look up at the sky. It is a darker blue now. The sunlight is fading. Night's on the way. 

You wonder if Chara will let you see the stars. You doubt it. 

The sun is warm on your face. You tip your head back, let the last few rays land across your nose and mouth. You close your eyes, soaking in the heat.

s̼̗̠̗̺͓̖̺̻̠̯ͤ̒̓͐ͯ̄͢͠ͅa̵̔̂̊̀͛ͪ̑ͪ̾ͥ̚͏̨͉̫̬͕̬͉͈̗̞͚ͅͅm̽͑̽̒͑̌̿͑ͮ̏̍̃́̑͊̊͝҉̼͈͙̜̥͞!̷̯̩̗͒ͥͤͨ̽͐ͭͨͬ̒ͤ̕͢͝ ̧̪̪̹͇̟͉̭̹̲̺̟ͦ̆̉͂͝͞   |  | c̥͓̱͚̝̲͎͓̳͋͊̃̎̋͌͑̆͐ͪͥ͒ͩ̍̂̚̕͜͞oͦ͗̌ͩ̾͛̆̅ͫͤ̂̎͛́͏̭̺̠̘͚̳̺̩͖̥̩̥͞ͅṃ̭̳̼̟͔̞̝͈̮̘̬͖̼̲̹̥̽͋͐ͥ̊̆͂ͪ̆̌̌̅̓ͭ̚̚͠͞ͅe̵͔̯̟͕̻͖̾̒ͫ̓̆̈͑͐̐ͯ͠ ͍̘̹̖͔̬̗̩͉͓̮̣͖͂̃ͨ̑͝͝͠ͅį̸̭̩͍͇̭̜̗̳̙̞̲̜͖͌ͣ̎̈́ͨ̒ͪ͆̊́̏ͮ͂̔͌̚n̸͆͋̌̕͏̧̼͓̹͔̝̥̬̜̱͙̝͚̹̮ͅs̷̸̡̔̊̄͐̈̈͛̇̔̽ͤ̚͏̢̭̗̦̯̥̙̟̫̗̟͕͓i̵̡̢̟̫̳̝̍̂ͭ̒̓̃ͥ̀ͭͦͨ̽̉ͥ̀ͨ͠d̷̻̫̮̖͔͖̬̣͙̘̩̗̜̹͉ͬ̽̿̉̈́ͭ͐͒ͣ̓͝ẻ̺̮̟̼̬̝̻̭̋̉͌ͭ̍̊̉̔̆ͫ̆ͫ́̓͋͆͝ͅ ̞̪͍͎͓̯͇̣̺̲͆͐ͫ̾̊ͧ͊̄̌́͆͒̕͜͜b̐̍͋ͧ̃̀͐̇ͤ̄̓̑́͒̂ͤͥ͏҉̷̘͖̩͔̲̺̱͕͟ȩ̷̗̙͈̟̱̬͈̝̥̰̳̲̖͚̩̞͖̼̃͛ͥͭ͊̾͋͗͊̑̐̓͢͠f̨̨̮͔̬̮̙̘ͪͤ̂͢o̵̲͔̩̬͔̹͇̭̻̯͎͇̲̐ͦ̃ͤ͛̇̅͊͢͟r̷̗̱̲̰̮̭̮͚͍͎̯̝̅͂̒͌̊̇̇͂ͪͪ̈́̏̚͟͠e̸̸̶̳̥̳̦͚͈̮̞̻ͯ͂̑̐̇͒̈̀͆ͮ͌̉̽ͣ̚̚ͅ ̛̤̻̥̫̥͈̭̞̜̱̮̗̹̙̮̱̜̽ͫ̿͛̈͒̒͗̍͘ͅh̡̫͔͔̩͇͍̫̞̺͇̘̲̬͇͎͇͉͙̥́͒ͧͤ̊̎̌̍͆̂͐̔͌̽̊̏ͤ̕e͖̦͇͎͉͇̗͗͐̓͋̾ͬ̉̑̆ͫ̊̈̊̍ͥͧ̚͢͡ ̨̐ͦͮ̑͛҉̴̢̫̲͈̪̯͇͘g̸̛̜̻͈̥̹̼̯͔̗̩̫̗͍͖̱̞͍ͤ͑͑͌͌̿͐ͬ̈̋ͨ̚͝ͅe̶̲̰̱̦̤̜͈̫̩̮͔̞̭̠̩̣̱͇̍ͨ̿ͧ͞tͤ̀̌̽̌̿͏̴̝̻̫̦̩̠̱̥̣̮͟s̴̢̢̛̯̜͈̳͗̄ͦ̍͌͌ͫ͊̍͋͌͗͌͟ ̡͓͖̩̹̖ͪ͆͌ͥͧ̊̒̇͋̍̑̾͊ͫͣ̈́̆͘ͅh̴̢̛̦̳̻̣̯̫̯̬̝̲̦̤̙̘̮̩̣̋͂̓ͬͤ͗ͤͬ͐ͥͥ̂̃ó̴̷̧̟̹̰͉͙͈̦̻͓̫̜̑́̾͊ͨ͝͞m̀̉ͫͣ̈̐̎̾͊ͯ͊̐ͨ͛̿̉͛͡͏͏̜͓̹̘̞͕̺͚͓̬̱̥̪͎̤͕͘e͑ͤͨ̃ͩͤ̄ͥ̐ͪ͌̐ͪͬ̄̉̄͏̸͔̗̥̱͉̞͍͉͖̬͎͇̥̥̺̖̳ͅ!̨̞͔͔̘̩͇̦͗̈ͥ̽͘  
---  
  
h̡ͣͣ̔̎͛́̊͐̽ͣ̈́̆ͩ͛ͤ͝͞͏̖̱̪̞͖̙̞͙̝͈̳͎̱͓ͅu̲̼͕̟̮͇̣̬̱͙̣ͯͮͫ̆ͬͤ̄ͯ̃̆̇͊ͯ̉͐̐̃͂͡͡͠͠r̵̭̲͍͙͍̞̺̬͉̫̭̝̩̤͍̻̩͇̐̇͗͒ͨͦ̀ͯ͜͡r̨̙͍̜̙̣͎̔͗̾̒̔̿̂͐ͨ̒͛ͯ̄͟͠y̸̶͖͍̫̗̗͉͓̩̩̬̩͓̬͔̬̼ͨ̈́ͧͫ̊̎ͦ̀ͮ̿͛̔̚ͅ!̸͎̳̩̺͎̿ͨ͛̀̽̉͛͋ͭ̎̂͒ͥ͐̚͘̕͝  
---  
  
You blink. Hard.

_what the hell?_

You... you...

You need to get back to Chara. You must return to your partner.

Now. 


	2. footprints in the sand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sans might be letting on a little more than he knows, Cherry gets an appearance, and everyone is hankering for some death already.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *...  
> *The author has no satisfactory excuse for why they've taken so long. Life, basically. School, and depression, and distractions. Those and the fact that they have five other WIPs begging to be finished, and it's really difficult to pick one to focus on.  
> *The author hopes you'll forgive them for taking so long to update.  
> *But now, since it's exam week, the author has committed to publishing something every day! So here you are.  
> *(THEY KNOW IT'S LATE AT NIGHT WHERE THEY ARE BUT IT'S NOT MIDNIGHT YET SO HUSH)
> 
> *(The author hopes that the hints they drop in this chapter for the Reveal later will help assuage your anger.)  
> *Enjoy the chapter, darlings!

Chara is waiting in a pile of dust, licking pie filling off their fingers. The rest of the house is silent.

They don't ask where you went, or why you were gone so long. Instead, they smile and stand up and say, "--Are you ready to continue, partner?--"

You nod. You don't trust yourself to speak, right now: you feel like if you do, all your secrets will come spilling out.

"--Someone cleared the rest out already,--" they pout. "--I don't like it.--"

"i'm sure we'll find targets somewhere," you reassure them. "snowdin maybe? the other kid can't have gotten too far yet."

They smile at you brightly. "--Oh, what would I do without you?--" they exclaim, and hop to their feet. "--C'mon!--"

They skip along. You follow more slowly, hands in your pockets. 

The books itch at the back of your skull.

 

There are bootprints in the path to Snowdin. They're not the same as the ones Chara wears, but they're definitely not a monster's shoes. "--They can't be too far ahead!--" Chara chirps. 

You glance to the side of the path, where a yellow petal lies beside a depression of snow. Seems like Frisk isn't the only one travelling this road.

You don't say anything.

 

Chara stops suddenly. You barely keep yourself from bumping into their back. 

"--That sentry station,--" they say, pointing down the road. "--Is that...--"

You squint. Yep. You know those marks, and the off-white lump on the counter just seals your certainty.

"yeah."

Chara bounces on their toes. "--Oooh, do you want a go?--"

You shrug. "up to you."

Chara smiles up at you and pats your arm. "--Yes, it is. You're a good partner.--"

Your inventory feels like an iron weight hanging from your neck. 

"--I want him,--" Chara decides. "--Come watch!--"

You trudge along in their wake, hands in your pockets.

Another you is about to die. You're going to watch. Your partner is going to kill another you.

Something in your ribs feels tight and cold. For a moment you think of blood, chilled by horror and sluggish from shock; then you remember that you're a skeleton, a monster, and you don't have blood. The thick scarlet that flows beneath your bones is DT, nothing more. 

It can't be your soul. Your soul is barely solid enough to generate HP and LOVE. It doesn't have the capacity for complicated emotions.

You put it aside, forcing yourself to refocus on your partner. They're almost to the station by now. 

You walk after them. Your soul feels... heavy. You don't want to teleport right now. You might dust yourself by mistake, and then you won't be able to watch Chara kill the other you like they told you to.

You've already disobeyed with the books. You can't afford to break the rules again.

To wake the other Sans up, Chara slams their knife into the counter next to his face. He jerks upright, a wall of bones hurtling upward around him: one snags on Chara's leg, but they avoid most of the attack.

"--Ooh, you're fun!--" Chara decides, grinning. "--Come on, comedian! Show me your best material!--"

"who the fuck are you?" the other Sans demands, summoning another wall of bones to keep Chara away from him. You can almost smell his fear.

Chara doesn't deign to answer him. Instead they raise their knife, glowing DT-red, and send a barrage of slashes against the ivory barrier. 

It shatters and crumbles. The other Sans teleports, popping up behind Chara, raising a hand. You can already see the ground under Chara's feet beginning to glow blue.

You are about to enter the fray when you pause.

Chara said to watch. They only said to watch.

And so you stay still and do nothing, and watch as the glowing bones erupt from under Chara's feet. 

You watch their sweater tear and their blood splash, and you say nothing, and you do nothing.

Your soul thrums.

"gotcha," the other Sans gloats. "now i don't know who you think you are, but-"

Chara growls. Your soul trembles. You feel like cowering and begging for *mercy.

The other Sans clearly feels the danger in the air as well, but he doesn't bow to it. For a moment, your soul sparks with respect.

Chara screams, forcing their skewered arm free. Their knife is on the ground, but they don't need it. They only carry the physical weapon for the familiar comfort it brings them, and the visceral feel of it breaking through someone's body.

(You know. They've told you.)

"oh shit," the other Sans says faintly. "ohhh shit."

Chara screams again. Their head jerks up. You can't see their face, but you can feel their rage hanging in the air.

Chara's soul shimmers above their head, cracked and veined with pulsating black lines. You see the confused horror on other Sans' face, his eyes zeroing in on the unnatural quality of Chara's soul.

The other Sans summons a quartet of Blasters to hover around him, clearly anticipating an attack from Chara. 

Chara doesn't let him down. They tear themself free of the bones and raise their hands, crimson crackling over their fingers.

"--Pathetic thing,--" Chara spits. "--Confidence only gets you killed. I thought this world was going to be a  _challenge_.--"

The air around Chara fills with blades of scarlet energy.

Your grin twitches. 

"--Survive this,--" Chara says, smirking, "--and I'll show you my s p e c i a l a t t a c k .--"

The other Sans makes a familiar gesture. The Blasters open their maws. Chara's blades bear down on the other Sans like targeted missiles.

There is a great roar as the Blasters fire. All you can hear over their destruction is Chara's laughter.

 

The other Sans is on one knee, sweat sliding down his skull, hands up over his chest. He's panting, staring at Chara with terror naked in his eyes. His Blasters are piles of powder around him.

"what the hell are you?" he asks. Chara saunters forward, pausing only to scoop their knife up from the ground and clean it on their sleeve.

"--Many things,--" they say. You take the chance to teleport closer, wanting to see their face.

Chara looms over the other Sans. Even though you can tell he still has magic in him, he's letting them get the upper hand. The only thing you can think of is that he knows that he's outmatched, and is waiting for the moment to spring a trap.

He'll need to be careful. Chara won't fall for the same trick twice.

"--But you,--" Chara says, their gaping scarlet grin spreading across their pink cheeks, "--can call me Death.--"

They raise their knife.

 

In the silence that follows, you hear the distinctive sound of a soul cracking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *=)


	3. leave me your stardust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which people finally die and the author has had time to improve their fight scenes. (Bonus author headcanons on how magic works in Undertale ftw!)
> 
> ((chapter title from "Boats and Birds" by Gregory and the Hawk.))

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *The author wildly apologizes for taking so long to update. Two weeks of family reunions, illness, and a hotel with no wifi except a spotty iPhone hotspot is NOT conducive to fic writing.  
> *The third chapter of "girl with one eye" should be up soon... key word being "should", since the author can't fuCKING update without a goddamn month's wait.  
> *...sorry. The author is unhappy with themself.  
> *They hope you enjoy the chapter!

The axe thunks to the ground. Dust explodes across the other-you's startled face.

You've never seen any of the dogs in your universe move so fast.

It's taken Chara by surprise. They stare at the axeblade and the dust as the rest of the Dog Squad surround the other-you, dragging him away from Chara and keeping their weapons raised. You see long lashes and a clean muzzle: Dogaressa. So that means Dogamy is the one splattered across the ground and other-you. 

...No one's ever tried to protect you like this in your universe.

No, no, that's not true, your partner protects you all the time. Your partner loves you. 

Yeah. Yeah, your partner protects you. You - you meant the other monsters. Before... 

Before? 

You shake the cluttered cobweb thoughts from your skull. You have no reason to care about the dust in your world. You are here now, with your partner. That is what matters.

The only differences between worlds that you need to pay attention to are battle styles.

Your eyes snap back to other-you. Even surrounded by the protective dog monsters, you can see the glow of his eye. It's almost the same red as the magic Chara uses.

DT red. 

Your hand drifts to your chest. Without thinking about it, you summon your soul.

Yours, too, is unnatural. Where Chara's is thick chunks of crimson Determination infused and held together with sickly black  _something,_ the familiar white of your monster soul is threaded and patched with Chara's dark scarlet DT. It could almost be pink, if you squinted and stepped back, but it's not. 

You've always found it funny, that your soul is white. You're a monster, sure, but you have one HP to your name. Seems like the white of Hope isn't the proper color for you, but hey - monsters don't get to have special colors like humans, so here you are, with a soul that's never fit you quite right. 

*Your spine tingles. Smells like attention.

You put your soul away, looking back at the battlefield.  _Fuck._

Other-you's scarlet eye is piercingly bright, focused on the patch of woods you're standing in. Fuck. Fuck fuck  _fuck._ You'll have to defend yourself if he tells the dogs or comes after you himself, but  ~~y̛̳͈̗̠̞̹̪͢o̡͈͖̳̖̕u͏̧̦͍̺̪͉͔ ͕͖̫̥̯̭ͅd̢͎̗̼̝̬͚͖͢͝o̘̖͡n̜͉͔͇̹̗͎̰̗'̜̳̥̗̟͎̱t̶͉͔̙ ̻̣̘̘͖̱̝̰͟w̴͚̙̘͉͟͞a͇͍͟ṉ̪̞̳t̻̫̟͍͉̭ ̶̡̦̼t̡̺̥̩̳̦̦͜o̰͈̜ ͖̘̻͇̣͜f̥͙͔̜̺͕͙ͅi̴̖̲̜͇̪̳͠͡g̛̙͕h̢͉̺̙͍̱ț̜̺͉̱̼̬̼̫͟͢ ̹̙͎͕͖͜a̶̗͔n͇̜͇̰̪̳̩͇y̴͇̲̯̣͖̰̝̯͖̕o̢̧̢͚̪̳̫̗̪̝ͅn͉̟̤̳̞̟͍e̛̻̰̟̗̜̲~~  your partner told you not to interfere. You don't know which order to follow. 

You don't have to make the choice. His eye slides away from you, back to your partner, as Dogaressa leaves the pack to keep Chara busy while her peers usher the other-you away as quickly as they can. 

"--COWARD!--" Chara screams. Scarlet magic flies after them, but this Dogaressa clearly knows how to fight far better than her counterpart ever did - her axe is lightning fast, stopping Chara's blows in their tracks. Puffs of dust fly from each impact on her wide blade. That's definitely something the Dogaressa of your world never did. Actually, you aren't sure that's a capability you ever saw in your world - a weapon capable of blocking, even neutralizing, other magic attacks. The closest you can think of is Undyne's green magic generating shields on her opponents, but the shields couldn't be used offensively against her. This is something new.

*You feel a shiver of excitement spark through your soul.

This is  _something new._ Killing was so repetitive, but this - stars, if you could get that weapon and recreate it, it'd be even harder for anyone to stand in your partner's way. Plus, giving your partner something so rare and useful might make them happy with you, and that's- 

that's-

**~~_\--Making your partner happy is very important, Sans. As important as keeping them safe.--_ ~~ **

You want to make them happy, is all. And you want to keep them safe. That would do both.

You do not step out from behind the tree. Your partner has ordered you not to interfere. Your curiosity and anticipation cannot be allowed to overcome an order.

"You killed him!" Dogaressa screams. Her axe booms against the ground, magical replicas of the weapon crashing down to keep Chara pinned in one area and constantly dodging. Whenever your partner tries to move forward, to be in better striking distance, they're instantly pushed back by an axeblade slamming down close enough to nick their shoes if they didn't jump back. "You killed him! YOU'RE GOING TO PAY!"

Your partner laughs. Dogaressa's turn ends.

Chara's smile widens. Their face seems to crack open. The same thick, oily blackness that binds their soul together streams like tears from their eyes, drips from their mouth, splashes down their cheeks from the sudden tears in their skin. 

"--Y O U D O N ' T K N O W W H A T Y O U ' R E D E A L I N G W I T H , P U P P Y .--"

Dogaressa stands her ground, axe ready to swing. 

 

*You are filled with respect for a worthy foe. 

*Smells like oak and cinnamon.

 

Chara raises their hands. Dogaressa is hemmed in by a rotating square of knives.

"--G O F E T C H.--"

A spinning sword appears beside Dogaressa, practically brushing against the walls of the knife-barrier as it turns. Dogaressa catches on quickly, following the path of the sword and skirting the bristling walls that threaten her. The longer she goes without taking damage, the thicker the streams of black dripping down Chara's face and the stiffer their smile grows, until finally the brittle grin snaps and Chara snarls outright. 

"--T H I S I S **M Y** G A M E !--"

*Your soul twitches.

*(Smells like something rotten.)

Dog faces aren't really meant for smirking, but Dogaressa manages an expression that's close enough to make Chara seethe. "You're in my world now, human! Dogamy's dust will be the only dust you spill here! We are not  _weak._ "

Chara snarls. Dogaressa's turn again: axeblades pounding into the dirt, penning Chara into a small space and limiting their places to dodge. Blood seeps through a cut in the sleeve of their sweater.

"--Really?--" Chara says, baring their teeth even as they duck under a plummeting axehead and dance away from another. "--My Sans never let other monsters fight his battles for him.--"

The axes shudder. For a full, frozen moment, Dogaressa's attack completely stops. 

"You would insult the Judge?" she whispers, the shocked exclamation carrying in the wind. "You, a  _human,_ would insult the  _Judge?!_ "

Her attack resumes, faster than before. More blood splatters onto the blades. Chara's frustration keeps mounting. 

Curiosity wells up in you again. Your role as Judge was a strict secret in your world, between you and Asgore alone (until the human came to your Hall, anyway). How widespread is the knowledge of your job here? Why does Dogaressa speak the title with such... reverence and respect?  _How the fuck did a monster with 1 HP survive in this world long enough to deserve that kind of respect from a Royal Guard?_

"I should slice you in half where you stand," Dogaressa snaps. "Your soul is hardly worthy of collection."

Chara laughs. Their face is mostly whole again; seems the adrenaline of dodging keeps the black goop from ripping through Chara's cheeks.

"--T R Y I T , M U T T ,--" Chara dares. "--I F Y O U C O U L D , W H Y A M I S T I L L H E R E ?--"

Dogaressa's turn ends, her blades thunking down a final time and dissolving. Chara's smile is wide and blood-bright, their mouth curved in cruel glee.

"--Do you miss him?--" Chara taunts. "--Don't worry. You'll see him soon.--"

Dogaressa growls, but cannot attack. She's forced to wait until Chara's turn is over.

Chara, once again, sends a barrage of red blades soaring toward their enemy. This time, though, they duck low under their magic attack and race forward, hand sliding under the hem of their sweater to grip something tucked in their waistband. 

Dogaressa is occupied with blocking the magic assault. She never even sees Chara sliding under her guard, knife raised, eyes glowing crimson. 

 

 

The dust mixes on the ground, pushed together by breezes and Chara's kicking feet. "--She fought well,--" your partner concedes. "--And I did promise she'd be with him.--"

They turn and pat your shoulder. "--You did a good job, partner. You obeyed me even though I was in danger. I know it must have been difficult for you to stay and not help, but you listened. You obeyed." They grace you with a smile, the one that reminds you of the soul who was in this body before Chara took it. 

You dip your head. "you're my partner. if you tell me to do something, i do it."

Chara nods. "--Mm-hm. Hey, where d'you think that Sans went?--"

You shrug. "this is a really different world. i'm honestly not sure where they'd put him."

Your partner sighs. "--Oh well. We'll find him eventually.--"

You feel bad that you can't give your partner better information to go on, but you just don't understand the other-you's movements. 

Thinking about helping your partner reminds you of your earlier idea, salvaging Dogaressa's weapon. The axeblades are the sole mark left behind of the two dogs. If you could take a piece of Dogaressa's axe, you could forge a knife for Chara with the same capabilities - though, granted, a knife is so small that it might not work properly...

"--Sans? You here?--"

You blink, jolted out of thought. Chara's eyes are fixed on your face, brow furrowed. "--What's got your head spinning so fast, hm?--"

*Something feels wrong.

You open your mouth, intending to tell them about your thoughts on the axe and the knife and Dogaressa's blocking ability.

That's not what comes out. 

"i... i know it was for the best, but i - i don't like not being able to protect you."

It's the truth. The curiosity and intrigue raised by Dogaressa's axe sinks back down, smothered by your concern for your partner and your confusion over the conflicting instructions they gave you. 

Chara's face relaxes and they lean into your side. "--Don't worry about it. If I tell you something, just... let it take over, alright? Even if it clashes with something I've told you in the past.--"

Your shoulders release their tension. "okay."

 

You never bring up your idea. Offering to replace Chara's weaponry could be seen as an insult, especially by using the weapon of a defeated enemy. You don't want to anger your partner.

Besides - it's not your job to think. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *The idea behind Dogaressa's special ability is that in Underfell, since violence is so common, only the most powerful monsters would be accepted into the Royal Guard. To become powerful, you win in fights over and over. To become the _most_ powerful, you develop a special ability.  
>  *Dogaressa's is tied to her weapon. (This is the case for all of the Royal Guard - their weapons are imbued with their magic. Frisk carries an ordinary stick; Undyne summons a magical spear. This is mentioned in chapter two of "girl with one eye", if you want more than a footnote on magic weapons - a human fights with a physical weapon, a monster fights with magical constructs, a Royal Guard fights with a physical weapon imbued with magic.)   
> *She can't dodge attacks - that remains special to Sans and only Sans - but she can block them. It weakens her attack on the next turn by damaging her blade, but her ATK is pretty damn high so she can afford to lose a little strength in exchange for keeping her HP up.  
> *Her axeblade remains when she dusts because (a) Plot, and (b) the author has always liked the idea that monsters leave behind more than dust when they die. Undyne's eyepatch and perhaps a spear, Papyrus' scarf and armor, Asgore's trident and crown, Mettaton's soul container - all examples of a monster's physical legacy.  
> *The rest of the Royal Guard in Underfell has special abilities, too. The author intends to showcase them all in the upcoming chapters. They have a feeling you'll enjoy Papyrus'. =)  
> *(For those wondering: Dogamy's special ability is twofold - he knows when members of his "pack" [in this case the Royal Guard] are in danger, and he can interfere with the battle they're in. This might not seem special, since DFT Sans & Chara have been able to do this for a while, but they _are not_ the norm, as if you needed to be reminded. Their existence is a strain on the laws of reality. Dogamy's special ability isn't a gift from the VOID; it's something he developed naturally. Unfortunately for him, it's not an ability that saved his life; only the life of Underfell Sans.)
> 
> *Updates will probably slow a little, since school starts back up in a week (plus 2 days) and the author needs to focus in on prepping for classes.   
> *They apologize for the probable wait. :/

**Author's Note:**

> *The book choices are quite important; the author recommends that you remember them.  
> *(And yes, the author owns most of them. And loves them. They're good books!)  
> *And, for the record- Zalgo (glitchy text) is found here: http://eeemo.net/


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